Texas A&M recruiting snapshot: June starts with a bang for the Aggies

It had been a slow start for Kevin Sumlin and his staff for the first five months of 2017. Six of the seven commitments for the Aggies’ 2018 class came at the tail end of 2016, which raised a few eyebrows around the conference.

What a difference a few days can make.

A pair of 4-star prospects, safety Leon O’Neal Jr. and defensive end Max Wright, pledged on June 2, and immediately became Texas A&M’s top-rated recruits for this class.

Deneric Prince, a 3-star running back, came on board a week later and, all of a sudden, the Aggies have momentum on the recruiting trail once again. Considering some of the names expected to make decisions later this month, that could prove to be important.

Here is a look at Texas A&M recruiting, as of June 9:

Where Texas A&M’s 2018 recruiting class ranks

The fast start in June has the Aggies at No. 13 in the 2018 cycle per the 247Sports composite rankings. It’s also the third-ranked class among SEC teams, with only LSU and Tennessee having better classes to this point.

For reference, the school finished sixth in the league recruiting rankings in 2017 and 12th overall nationally.

Who are Texas A&M’s top commitments?

Who committed to Texas A&M this month?

As noted above, the Aggies welcomed their top-two prospects, O’Neal and Wright, since the calendar flipped to June. Prince became the first running back in this year’s group when he verbally committed Friday.

Who are Texas A&M’s top uncommitted prospects?

5-star CB Anthony Cook (Houston) — With more than 40 offers to his credit, Cook is a popular target. With Texas and Ohio State pegged as the front-runners, however, the Aggies have some work to do to catch up.

4-star CB Verone McKinley III (Carrollton, Texas) — His offer list (nine SEC schools, including A&M, and the likes of Clemson, Ohio State and Penn State) reads like a “Who’s Who” of college football. He plans to make a decision before his senior season begins, so expect coaches to spend plenty of time on him.

4-star WR Jalen Preston (Manvel, Texas) — Preston is from the same hometown as Prince, so that could bode well in his recruitment for the Aggies. With the recent attrition at the position, Preston and the next name on this list are high-priority targets.

4-star WR Joshua Moore (Bradenton, Fla.) — He’s slated to make his decision June 18, and the Aggies are right there with Florida State and Nebraska as the favorites.

4-star DE Joseph Ossai(Conroe, Texas) — Ossai would be a nice fit at another position of need for Sumlin and company. Born in Nigeria, he only playing the game at age 10, but is quickly rising up recruiting boards.